The present invention relates to mail collection bags.
Mail such as letters, postcards, and parcels may be anonymously deposited into any one of the over 300,000 free-standing mail collection boxes located in the U.S. on streets and parking lots. U.S. Postal Service employees collect the deposited mail from these mail collection boxes on a regular basis. The collected mail is sent by truck to centralized facilities for processing and distribution.
Recently one or more terrorists have used the U.S. mail system to send anthrax, harming several Postal Service employees and customers. The anthrax mailing caused at least five deaths. It is believed that the letters carrying anthrax were initially deposited in mail collection boxes. In such a situation, a mail collector may be exposed to anthrax while collecting mail from the mail collection box that holds a contaminated letter. Mail that resides with the contaminated letter in the mail collection box—or that is later commingled with the contaminated letter during mail processing and distribution—may be cross-contaminated with anthrax, further spreading the risk of exposure.